An Open Book
by cappuccino121
Summary: DoujouxIku. Just when he thought everything in life was almost blissfully perfect, a short trip to the supermarket forces him to think twice. R
1. Chapter 1

**An Open Book**

Summary: Just when he thought everything in life was almost blissfully perfect, a short trip to the supermarket forces him to think twice.

Author's Notes: Please read and review! This is my first fanfiction, so I really want to know your comments on this…thank you!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Library Wars/Toshokan Sensou. It belongs to its rightful owner.

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Chapter 1: Shattered Plans

It was supposed to be a normal trip to the supermarket. A chance to refill his mini refrigerator with beer, buying more shampoo and soap to replace the nearly empty bottles in his bathroom, and maybe getting some ham or bacon to share with the guys back at the dorm. It was really nothing special; just an ordinary day in an ordinary weekend of Doujou Atsushi's life.

The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the constant, dull headache he had. After thinking it through, he'd decided to keep quiet about it, choosing not to tell any of his coworkers, especially not a certain clumsy and reckless subordinate he had. After all, she _was_ the main reason for most of the headaches he'd ever experienced. In most circumstances, her hastiness and lack of discipline in her work would be the cause. This time it was her rash instinct to throw him across the room that caused the pain which wouldn't subside even a few days later.

In an effort to take his mind off the problems with his subordinate, he'd dragged himself out of the dorm and into the street. With nothing else to do, he headed to the closest supermarket. Taking the normal path, he crossed over the traffic on the footbridge, hearing the sound of cars and honking and background noises. He was engrossed in his own thoughts as he looked around while strolling down the street.

There weren't too many people out at this time of the day. A young child, no older than five or six, was running around in front of the stores, until a young women started scolding him for causing trouble. Several collage girls were relaxing in the outdoor café as they ate lunch, giggling together every now and then. A serious-looking man in a business suit walked past very quickly, back straight in a professional posture as he talked into his headpiece. It was quite likely he was talking to someone important; perhaps his boss, or a client. They were all within a close distance of him, but Doujou felt as if he were closed off in his own world as he observed everyone around him. From a young age, he'd been taught by his father to read actions instead of relying on sight and hearing. _'Decoding secret messages'_, he'd called it. _'Actions speak louder than words'_ had been one of his father's favourite sayings.

A tiny smile made its way to his lips when he thought about his family, whom he hadn't seen in a while. With his father always away from home, and a mother who works night shifts in a hospital, it was difficult for them to make time for each other. After a quick snap-decision, he decided to return home on the next day off from work. It occurred to him that he might have to stay behind to clean up _her_ messes, as he'd learnt from experience, but he'd just have to figure something out. His pace increased slightly as he finalized his decision, momentarily forgetting about the headache he had. Now all he had to do, after returning from the supermarket, was to call home and see if his parents could shift their schedules around to make some free time for the family. Soon, his thoughts had drifted back to what he needed to buy from the supermarket.

The image of an ordinary day he had before was shattered no more than three minutes later, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Officer Doujou. What a coincidence."

The voice rang in his ears as the face of someone he'd only met once came to mind. Along with the image was the growing sensation of an uncomfortable and irritable feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He felt the sudden temptation to ignore this person. To walk away and continue down the path of his blissfully ordinary day. But no matter how strong this urge was, his reasoning kicked in and made him pause. At last, he turned around, slowly.

"Tezuka Satoshi."

Behind the thin, oval-shaped glasses, Tezuka Satoshi smiled in the satisfaction that he was recognized. It was already horrible enough that his day had to be ruined by this unexpected encounter, but when Doujou looked over Tezuka Satoshi's shoulder, the feelings of irritation was replaced by a wave of shock. The slightly wavy brown hair partially covered the girl's face, but it was enough for him to recognize her. She seemed just as surprised as he was when their eyes met, and there was a brief moment of awkward silence among the three.

It was a few seconds before Doujou could find his voice again. "Akane."

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**Author's Notes: Please read and review! I'll post the second chapter as soon as I can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**An Open Book**

Summary: Just when he thought everything in life was almost blissfully perfect, a short trip to the supermarket forces him to think twice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Library Wars/Toshokan Sensou. It belongs to its rightful owner.

Note: To avoid any confusions, I'm going to refer to Tezuka Satoshi using his first name, and 'Tezuka' will just refer to Tezuka Hikaru.

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Chapter 2: A Bitter Aftertaste

Tezuka Satoshi seemed to be the only one who didn't seem thrown off guard. He kept a poker-face as he stood between Doujou and the girl, observing the situation nonchalantly. The girl was wearing a knee-length casual dress with slightly frilly layers and short stylish boots, and her arm was linked around Satoshi's, which he noticed in particular. The last time he had seen Satoshi, Satoshi was dressed in a business suit, but this time he was wearing casual clothing that didn't really suit his image. Nevertheless, in the eyes of strangers, Satoshi and the girl looked just like a couple in a middle of a date.

And the image of seeing his younger sister together with his nemesis (his dislike had already reached the next level) was more than enough to ruin his day off. At the sight of Doujou, the girl quickly pulled away from Satoshi, nervously bringing her arm back to her side.

"O-Onii-chan…"

The shock was quickly replaced by anger and irritation. Doujou gave Satoshi a quick glare out of the corner of his eye, still noting the much-too-close distance between the other man and his sister. "Akane," he spoke with a bitter edge to his voice, "What are you going here? With him?" He jerked his chin towards Satoshi.

"Um…He's an alumni of my university, so he's kind of like a sempai…"

"Just a sempai?"

"Y-Yeah." Even ignoring the stutter, it was impossible to miss the way she glanced away for a split second; her body language was practically screaming out the fact that it was a lie.

For whatever reason he couldn't understand, the situation really bothered him. Although his sister was legally an adult, he still felt the need to watch over her carefully. Some would call it 'being an overprotective brother', but at this split second, Doujou was willing to be deemed overprotective if it meant getting Akane away from Satoshi's side-now. As he reached for his sister's arm, a cough from Satoshi made him look up.

"If I must explain myself, Officer Doujou, it is a common misconception that a young man and young lady together in public _must_ be on a rendezvous." Satoshi choose this moment to pause briefly, running a hand through his hair as he studied Doujou's ambiguous yet slightly cynical expression. A tiny smirk of satisfaction was carefully hidden behind his hand as he pretended to rub the bridge of his nose. "But I have to say, those assumptions are incorrect in this case, as unfortunate as it may be."

Neither of the men noticed Akane's gaze dropping slightly when Satoshi denied the fact that that they were on a date, nor did they notice they way she brightened up a little at the word 'unfortunate'. The only thing occupying Doujou's mind at the moment was the idea of leaving, so he grabbed his hesitant younger sister and turned to leave. Doujou didn't like the way Satoshi gave Akane one last glance before Doujou forcefully dragged her away, and he _especially_ didn't like the fact that she returned his gaze with a feeling of helplessness. The increasing distance between them and Satoshi did nothing to calm him down. In fact, his thoughts only served to aggravate him even further.

It wasn't the fact that his younger sister seemed to have an interest in his subordinate's older brother; it was the fact that she was interested in _Tezuka Satoshi_ - the man who will stop at nothing to reach his goals, the man who has a secret agenda in every action he takes, the fiend who unhesitatingly _ruined_ Kasahara's work and social life for the sake of his younger brother! _This is ridiculous,_ he sickened at the notion of Satoshi getting closer to Akane.

"We're going back to the dorm to get something, then I'm bringing you home." The coldness in his voice made it clear that there was no room for arguments. A million thoughts ran through Doujou's mind, and each thought only increased the uneasiness in his stomach. Until they made it through the entrance of the Library Force dorms, the atmosphere remained just as tense as it had been when they were with Satoshi. The lounge was completely empty, but the silence inside the dorm didn't change the awkward mood between the siblings.

"Wait here." Doujou spoke to her with a tone fit for a commander, and Akane could only sit down on the sofa like an obedient child. As soon as he left, she pulled up the sleeve of her left hand, revealing the skin to be slightly red where Doujou was gripping it. She winced inwardly, not from the pain, but from the bitter aftertaste of the conversation between her older brother and Satoshi.

"Not here either..."

The quiet murmur broke the silence. Akane quickly pulled her sleeve back down to cover her wrist, and looked up to see a tall, short-haired girl attempting to peek between the gap of the vending machine and the wall. She continued to mutter to herself, and was completely unaware of the presence of the other person in the room. Whatever she was looking for didn't seem to be there, so she moved on to the cupboard beside it. With a yank she attempted to pull it open, but the handle came flying off and out of her hands.

"Wah!" Akane let out a yell as the handle flew right past her head, coming very close to hitting her. The tall, tomboyish girl turned around in surprise and finally noticed her there.

"Oh, are you alright?! That was an accident, I'm so sorry!" She kept looking between the handle on the floor and Akane, her short brown hair flying wildly around her head. This incident gave Akane a slight feeling of irritation, but it was obvious that it was unintentional. The reaction of the girl made it impossible for her to stay angry at her anyways. Akane nodded her head to show she was alright.

"Oh, good." The girl breathed a huge sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. She brightened up, and stared at Akane, who was at least a head shorter than her. "Did you happen to see a folded piece of paper lying around here? It's really important, and I kinda lost it." The irresponsibility of losing something really important was what caught Akane's attention. That was the kind of thing that wouldn't happen in her family, as accountable as they all were. The disappointment of the girl was obvious when she shook her head. Still, she thanked her before leaving, no doubt continuing her search for the important piece of document she lost.

"Akane." Doujou returned a few minutes after with a duffle bag slung around his shoulders. "We're leaving." It couldn't be more noticeable that he was still angry at her, with the way he's avoiding eye contact and glaring at everything else in sight. With a slight drag in her steps, Akane meekly followed behind him.

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**Author's Notes: **_**Onii-chan**_** means 'big brother', and **_**Sempai**_** means 'upperclassman'. Thank you for the reviews, and please let me know what you think about this chapter!**


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